Reborn
by blackk1
Summary: A different version of Ayashi no Ceres, with a new victim, who is not C-Genoma, and not a member of the Mikage family, yet she is a Tennyo, and is back to get revenge, and determined to get her Hagaromo back. Under any circumstances.
1. The Pendant

It was a breezy evening, the autumn leaves raining down on 15-year-old Hitomi Ikeda, as she walked home from school one day. Her feet trudged loudly against the pavement, her worn-out boots clacking again and again, giving Hitomi a headache. Hitomi checked her black-banded watch, a horrified, yet impatient look dragging on her face, all the while, thinking to herself, "Uchida-san is going to be so mad at me for being late again."  
  
She couldn't stand the silence breaking clacking of her shoes, so Hitomi suddenly broke into a run. The wind blowing in her eyes, her contacts slipping out of view, Hitomi kept running, brushing her golden-brown hair out of her way. She dared not blink at all, all she could think of was how busted she'd be, and how Suzuki would lecture her about being late. Hitomi shook her head, getting the thought out of her head quickly and turned a sharp left, her bag slipping from her shoulder, flew into the street, where a black sports car with tinted windows was stopped.  
  
Hitomi stopped, quickly rubbing her light pink and purple eyelids, and took a step back, catching her schoolbag just in time. "Looks like all those lessons with Makazu paid off," Hitomi thought to herself as she swung the bag over her shoulder and started sprinting once again, not noticing the black car had u-turned and was now following her. Her mind raced, the pale, dirty gold turtleneck-knit sweater starting to itch. She clawed for a second at her neck with her brown, oval nails, and then ran into a dully- painted gray building with a chipped wooden sign nailed on the wall that read "Hazomate Bottling Company" in bright red lettering.  
  
"Uchida-san," Hitomi breathed, bowing slightly, brushing away the longer, darker brown strands of hair back, and raising her dark eyes to meet Suzuki Uchida's brighter ones, "I am sorry I am late."  
  
Suzuki started, "I do not want to hear any other excuses-" The door opened loudly, slamming against the wall, Uchida-san jumping. Hitomi spun around, her found facing a man who was at least 6 feet tall with dark reddish-brown hair. With his hands in the pockets of his black cloak, he moved aside, and a rather thin girl with light blonde, almost white, hair, walked through, emerging from the light that blinded both Hitomi and Suzuki, who were gazing with slight confusion at the man and the girl.  
  
The small girl had her hands together, holding something that was glowing a bright blue, spreading throughout the dark building. She walked up to Hitomi, who had abruptly dropped her schoolbag at the sight of the mysterious man, and held her hands up to Hitomi's nose, the top of her head barely reaching Hitomi's shoulders. The blue light shone even brighter, almost blinding Hitomi.  
  
She tried to raise her hand to shield herself, but her hands seemed paralyzed, unable to move. "What is this?" she thought to herself.  
  
The girl replied, reading her thoughts, "This is the dispel of a new legend, that you must fulfill." Hitomi's hands were forced to cup at her stomach, and the girl opened her hand, revealing a shining blue snake infused with a dragon, with a single silver sword stuck down the middle of them, forming an asterisk. Attached to it was a lengthy black cord, and a single strand of what seemed to be Hitomi's own hair, woven into the cord. The pendant dropped, the sword pointing down at Hitomi's palm. Hitomi tried to move her hands away, but they were frozen in place; she turned her head to face Uchida-san, but she had fallen unconscious and the mysterious man was carrying her over his shoulder.  
  
The blade dug deep into her skin, cutting a small slit in each hand, the sword going down to the center of both her hands. The cut was beyond painful, and finally, Hitomi could move freely. She brought her hands directly away from each other, the piercing blue light growing wider as her hands grew further apart. The little girl was still standing there, as if not affected by the light, but the man had taken out sunglasses and was wincing slightly. The girl smiled wickedly, and a white symbol of five teardrops, meeting in the center, appeared under her feet. The light moved upward in jagged lines, and she disappeared.  
  
Hitomi had fallen, the pendant attaching itself to her neck, the two slits in her hands still bleeding. The man dropped Suzuki, letting her roll off her shoulder, Uchida-san dropping with a thud on her side, and he picked up Hitomi, carried her out to the light, and started walking to the car.  
  
The man opened his car door, and put in Hitomi gently, then got in on the other side and sped away, his tires screeching, burning rubber leaving black marks in the large, white pavilion. He removed his sunglasses, tossing them onto the dashboard, thoughts racing through his mind, his eyes glancing upon Hitomi every now and then.  
  
"Tooya, do not fail, you must bring her back, bring the Tennyo back to her rightful order. If you don't you will never see Miyaru again." The words echoed through his head, his eyes growing out of focus.  
  
He swiveled to a halt, spinning abruptly to the right, not paying attention to the red light, the single thought taking control of him. Hitomi's head hit the window sharply, but luckily, there was no damage to her head or the window. Tooya grabbed her by the collar and pulled her back, her cheeks beyond rosy. It looked like all her blood had rushed to her cheeks, which were just about ready to burst.  
  
Tooya slammed the brakes, putting his free hand on Hitomi's shoulder, her other shoulder and head dangling limply forward. Tooya sighed deeply and pushed her back. The traffic light turned green, and he slammed down on the gas pedal, speeding forward. After countless minutes, he arrived at a creamy yellow house, the lights still bright, and emerged from the hot car. Tooya walked to the other side and opened the door, Hitomi tumbling out, almost hitting the floor. Toya had caught her by the arm, and gently tugged upward and she lightly fell into his arms.  
  
Tooya kicked the door closed, and carried Hitomi to the front door. A woman with short blue hair greeted Tooya warmly at the front door. Her hands covered in yellow silk, a small orange bow tied at the back, she led Tooya to the prepared room for Hitomi. She slid open the doors, Tooya entering and placing her tenderly on the Tatami mat, tossing the dark lavender blanket over her. He left quietly, and the mysterious woman took Hitomi's left hand out and laid on the side.  
  
She took a wooden bowl and filled it with water, placing a large green leaflet in, poking at it with a small stick. Music was pounding in the room next door, and the voice of a young man was overruling the better-sounding bass. The woman put the stick down, letting the water turn slightly yellow, and crawled over to the side door, and slid it slightly open.  
  
The room was slightly trashed, with crumpled papers scattered everywhere and posters of shabby guys and black swirls plastered the walls. It was cluttered, with large cases and boxes, full of CD's, books, tapes, and videos. A large chair was facing a boom box and a small television, and in front of the shelf, was a large mattress spread out on top of a Tatami mat. A young man with light brown hair was singing loudly, lying on the bed, his hands behind his head with his eyes closed.  
  
"Yuuhi," the woman hissed loudly, but he didn't respond. "Yuuhi!" she called again, nothing. "YUUHI!! TURN THAT MUSIC OFF" she screamed at the top of her lungs.  
  
The guy jumped up, and on all fours, half hissed and half shouted, "SUZUMI, DON'T DO THAT AGAIN!!"  
  
Suzumi smiled innocently and replied, "If you don't turn it down, I will." She pointed her finger at the boom box and poked the air, the music stopping immediately.  
  
"Suzumi! I could 'a done that myself!" Yuuhi noted.  
  
"So? I'm faster." She glared evilly at Yuuhi and bellowed, "Not another word." And she smiled and backed out, closing the door slowly, and then slamming it shut.  
  
Suzumi retreated to the bowl, and removed the leaflet, placing Hitomi's hand in the bowl and covering the wound with the dark green leaf. Hitomi shuddered, though still unconscious, and tried to turn away, but Suzumi kept a firm grip on Hitomi's hand, and pressed down with her left hand, Hitomi's shoulder, which finally gave in as the pain eased away, and drifted back off to sleep.  
  
Noticing a glint of glowing blue, Suzumi let Hitomi's hand drift in the bowl, the leaflet smoking a little, and picked up the pendant. There were two small stains of blood on the side of the little shining sword, some of the blue liquid in the dragon and snake on the bottom stained red, not blending with the blue. Suzumi suddenly felt a sharp pain in her head, seeing images of the past starting to take over her mind. She dropped the pendant and gripped her head falling forward, but she hit her hand to the floor, stopping herself, and pushing backward. Suzumi stood up, staggering backward and hitting the wall with a loud thud and falling to the side, the bowl holding Hitomi's hand turning into a deep, blushing crimson.  
  
Yuuhi slid the door open, and saw Suzumi with her face screwed up, laying on the floor, with her hands covering her ears. "Suzumi!" Yuuhi exclaimed and hustled over to help her. He slapped her slightly, but she didn't revive, her face still hunched together. Yuuhi carried Suzumi to her room, and laid her down on her bed, slipping a light green liquid down her throat, her face relaxing. Yuuhi left Suzumi to sleep, and went back to see Hitomi.  
  
He noticed the water in the bowl turning bloody, so he took another bowl from the small stack on the side, and placed Hitomi's hand in the empty one, pouring the original one over her hand. Yuuhi then removed her hand and peeled off the leaf, wrapping the wound in a white cloth, tying it with a firm knot. He edged to the other side, doing the same to her right hand, and sitting there, eyes focused on the water.  
  
After about ten minutes, the water became bloody again, and taking an empty bowl, poured the liquid over Hitomi's hand and removed the leaf, tying the cloth around the wound. Yuuhi took the four used bowls, and two wet leaves, and carefully left the room, using his foot to close the door, and went to the kitchen to prepare dinner and clean up the medicine.  
  
Yuuhi took his Walkman and started listening to music, taking numerous food from the refrigerator and washing them. Tooya entered the kitchen silently, and sat on a stool by the counter, putting his elbows on the wooden surface and going into deep thought. Yuuhi's cooking overwhelmed the house, as Tooya got up a few minutes later and left, recovering to his room.  
  
Tooya collapsed on his bed and drew into deeper thought, his eyes focused on a spot on the ceiling marked black. Suddenly, he heard a slight shout coming from Suzumi's room, and he got up and went to see what had happened. Tooya slid the door open and saw Suzumi being pinned down by three men in black suits. They didn't seem to notice Tooya open the door; Tooya glanced down the hall and saw Yuuhi knocked out cold, the knife he was using stuck in the cutting board he was using.  
  
Tooya burst in, his knife escaping his cuff, and cut two men who had attempted to attack him. Suzumi focused her powers on the large goggles one was trying to put on her, and she screwed up her face, but eventually, the man flew back into the wall, the mask smashed to bits and pieces on the floor. Three men left, they all attacked Tooya after knocking Suzumi out with the back of one of their guns.  
  
The three men took out their guns, trying to shoot Tooya, but he jumped up, and threw his small knife at one of the men's arms, piercing it deeply, and then pulled it out and punched him hard in the stomach. Tooya was shot briskly in the arm, and jammed his knife into one man's leg, near his butt, and he screeched in pain. Suzumi grew conscious again, and elbowed the man who was about to shoot Tooya in the head, in the back, and he fell. Suzumi picked up his gun and one man left, blood staining from the back of his pants. "N...no!" he shouted, and sprinted through them, Suzumi shooting the gun at his chest, and Tooya digging his knife into the man's right arm. The man fell to the ground, Tooya quickly removed his knife, and the man muttered under his last breath, "They won't let you get away with that." And he died; his eyes open wide, staring at Tooya, who wiped a bit of blood from his mouth with the cuff of his right sleeve.  
  
Suzumi solemnly said, "We'd better get that arm fixed up." As she saw Tooya grip his arm with his right hand. They went to the kitchen, where Suzumi dragged Yuuhi to a chair and let him sleep heavily, and she removed bandages, some powder, and a dried black leaf from a high cabinet. She had Tooya sit on the counter, and remove his jacket, which he unwillingly did, so she just had Tooya remove the left sleeve.  
  
Suzumi took the powder and dumped some in her fingertips, and pressed it firmly against the wound. Tooya winced slightly, but did not say anything. Then, Suzumi took the black leaf and put a few drips of water on it, and pressed it against the soaking powder and wound, and wrapped the bandage tightly around the leaf. "There we go," Suzumi said breathlessly.  
  
Tooya jumped down and left, for he was a man of little words. Suzumi suddenly remember Hitomi, and she rushed to her room, and saw Hitomi's hands bound with bandages. She smiled to herself and reminded herself to thank Yuuhi for taking care of Hitomi. Suzumi saw Hitomi squirm slightly, and suddenly random cuts were bruised across her face and ripped into her arms and legs, the blanket slowly stained with blood. Suzumi gasped, horrified, and removed the blankets, eyeing the pendant. Hitomi gasped, her neck cricking upward and her eyes opening wide, glowing slightly. She lay there, eyes opened wide and not moving or breathing at all.  
  
Suzumi check her pulse by feeling a spot in her neck, still a heartbeat. She sighed temporarily and left to get some medicine for Hitomi. "What is going on here?" Suzumi thought to herself, as she removed a cup and a green liquid from the cabinet. As she turned around, Hitomi was standing there in a black shading, eyes glowing and pendant shining brighter than ever; Suzumi backed up against the wall as Hitomi's hands clawed at her neck. 


	2. Revealed Truth

Suzumi could not say anything or do anything but try to restrain Hitomi, Suzumi's pale eyes darkening, and light skin slowly becoming darker. Hitomi's eyes, glowing heavily, burned their way into Suzumi, who now grew limp, and did not struggle anymore; all she did was glare at Hitomi, who had loosened her grip, letting Suzumi fall to the ground, half conscious.  
  
"You..." Suzumi muttered as she lunged at Hitomi, knocking her over, and her black mist of hair turned back into golden-brown. Suzumi flipped Hitomi over, glaring at Hitomi's frightened eyes. Hitomi was shaking horribly, tears starting to fill her eyes as she saw Suzumi's hair suddenly grow slightly long, and suddenly change short again. "Sorry," Suzumi paused, letting go of Hitomi's shoulders and placing her right hand over hear forehead and walking over to the cabinet, retrieving a new bottle and a cup, filling the cup with hot water.  
  
Hitomi stood up, and clearly confused, she asked shyly, "Where am I?"  
  
Suzumi, adding the contents of the flask to the water, and stirring it with a beige chopstick, replied, "There is a legend, I am sure you have heard it, of the Tennyo who lost her Hagaromo." Handing Hitomi the cup, she simply ordered, "Drink." Suzumi studied the cuts on Hitomi's face, arms, legs, and torso, as she commanded again, "Drink."  
  
Frightened and trembling, Hitomi took the cup and answered blandly, "Yes." She brought the cup to her lips, smelling the light smell of mint and vanilla. Hitomi willingly drank it, taking a small sip, burning the tip of her tongue.  
  
"Drink it while it's hot," Suzumi responded to Hitomi's arrogant looking face. "Come, we need to sit and talk." Suzumi led Hitomi to a large room where a square wooden table sat, with light pink cherry blossoms lining the edge. "Please, sit," Suzumi presumed.  
  
Hitomi sat on the mat, gulping the contents down her throat, all the while thinking to herself, "Why am I drinking this? I don't even know this lady, and I am accepting drinks from her. What if it is poisoned?" But the other half of her mind retorted, "She seems vaguely familiar, I just kind of, know I can trust her..."  
  
"The story of the Tennyo, the fairy maiden, who had removed her Hagaromo to bathe in the lake one day on Earth," Suzumi continued. "You know the story, correct?"  
  
Stupidly, Hitomi shook her head. "I know it, but I want to make sure I know it," she thought to herself as she held the cup in her hands.  
  
Suzumi sighed deeply, and began, "The story of the Tennyo is passed down from generation to generation, and while other countries have their own versions, the one of Japan, is quite true. You see, a human man took this Tennyo's Hagaromo, and the Tennyo could not return home without it. While the man acted as though he did not know where the Tennyo's Hagaromo was, he told her he would give it to her if she married him.  
  
"With no other choice, the Tennyo had to agree, for she could not return home, and so they were married. The Tennyo gave birth, and thus from her children's nursery rhyme, she found out where her Hagaromo was hidden, and she flew home to Heaven, leaving her children and husband behind.  
  
"Her children, blessed with Tennyo blood, consisted of one girl and one boy, and it has been kept a secret for years, though the Tennyo blood has been passed down from generation to generation in the Mikage family.  
  
"I myself have some Tennyo blood, although not all the pure powers...and the Mikage consider that as a C-Genoma, a project they have started to run, according to Tooya."  
  
"Tooya?" Hitomi questioned, who had stayed silent the whole time, listening contently.  
  
"You will see him soon," Suzumi replied. "Please, I must finish."  
  
Hitomi nodded, and Suzumi continued, "The C-Genoma project is still unclear, but only the Mikage family is of pure-blood Tennyo's, and the curious thing is, you are a pureblood, but not of the Mikage." Suzumi paused a moment, furrowed her eyebrows and explained, "You see, the Mikage prefer to have cousins married, so the C-Genoma type will not continue expanding and for tens of years, they have, but you are not even closely related to the Mikage, yet you still posses the Tennyo blood.  
  
"It also confuses me though, that nobody in your family history has even had a bit of Tennyo blood, none at all, and no relatives. This is where we must figure out how this happens. The Mikage are not searching for you, but their own family's Tennyo pureblood, who has run away, and her twin brother, is their success. While most Tennyo blood resides in females, her brother possesses some strange Tennyo forces.  
  
"Although this has nothing to do with you, you must be aware of this. The Mikage girl, the Tennyo that resides in her, the one that stayed behind, left a trace, and is trying to find her Hagaromo, as if the legend is being relived, and we do not know if your Tennyo is the same or not.  
  
"Do I make any sense at all?" Suzumi asked, looking up from her hands, which had been fumbling slightly.  
  
Hitomi had fallen asleep, her hands still around the cup and her head on the table. Suzumi dipped her head low and screamed into her hands. She went to the door and opened it, shouting at the top of her lungs, "YUUHI! YUUHI, COME HERE NOW!!!"  
  
For a moment, nothing happened, and Suzumi sat at the head of the door, glaring at the entrance of the hallway. She was boiling inside, and shouted again even louder, "YUUHI! GET OVER HERE NOW! BEFORE I DESTROY YOUR WHOLE ROOM AND THROW AWAY ALL YOUR CD'S!!!"  
  
Yuuhi, panicking, sweating, ran over, and glaring at Suzumi, retorted, "Don't...you...dare."  
  
"Oh yes, I would," Suzumi replied pleasantly. "Now, please take Hitomi to bed, she is dreadfully tired. Arigato, Yuuhi."  
  
Yuuhi smirked, and went in the room, gently picking up Hitomi and shuffled out and to her room, where Suzumi was preparing fresh sheets. Yuuhi gently laid Hitomi down and snatched the sheet from Suzumi and covered Hitomi, then sulked off to his own room and turned on his music, taking the volume down to minimum.  
  
"You silly girl," Suzumi chuckled, as she slithered out and closed the door behind her. She went to the kitchen, where Yuuhi was continuing his dinner, again listening to his Walkman.  
  
Suzumi solemnly went to the cabinet, right next to Yuuhi, where he was dicing some vegetables, shooting glances at his back just in case of some...intruders. Suzumi removed a goblet and a chalky white tablet the size of a quarter and on the counter behind Yuuhi, started smashing it gently. Suzumi poured the contents of the goblet into a black flask and added some tealeaves and cold water. She shook the bottle with her forefinger at the opening and left the kitchen just as Yuuhi turned around to check again.  
  
The hall was quiet and it seemed as if Tooya had left, but as Suzumi passed by his room, she heard small footsteps and swishing. Suzumi walked a little further, and turned in on Hitomi's room, and opened the door. Hitomi was sleeping soundly, face half smiling, dreaming away.  
  
Suzumi kneeled down next to Hitomi, and held her chin straight, opening her mouth slightly, and dumping the fluid into Hitomi's mouth. Then Suzumi dropped Hitomi's face, and left, closing the door and retreating to her own room.  
  
The corridor was empty, and the sound of footsteps echoed down the hallway. She walked alone, a fish on land, suffocated from that gulp of fresh air that it needed. Her sobs reached the end of the hall, where all was dark and the sun could not reach her. The girl sat on the floor in the corner, and a young man with tousled black hair, his hands in his pocket, looking outside at the streams of light, was walking towards her.  
  
He reached her and sat down next to her one leg out, one leg in, and said, "Hello, Hitomi-san."  
  
Hitomi, who did not see him or hear him sit down, looked up and her eyes filled with even more tears, emptying onto her cheeks as she smiled deeply and tearfully cried, "Kano!" and they embraced.  
  
Suddenly, he began to dissolve, and Hitomi began crying again, calling out her brother's name as he vanished, "Kano! KANO!! Don't leave me!!"  
  
Hitomi shot up, sweating and crying. The recurring nightmare she had been having, would not give up. There must be a sign as to why she was having these dreams...but at the moment Hitomi had thought of something reasonable, she heard a large CRAACK and a female voice shouting at the top of her lungs, "YUUHI, YOU ARE GOING TO PAY FOR THAT!!"  
  
"NOT IF I CAN HELP IT! IT'S YOUR FAULT THE-" Yuuhi screamed.  
  
"OH NO YOU DON'T. YOU'RE PAYING FOR IT IF IT'S THE LAST THING I DO, YOU...YOU...YOU SHIT HEAD!"  
  
Hitomi heard Suzumi trudging back, so she crawled back to bed and pretended to sleep, but Suzumi had come to wake her up. "Hitomi-san, wake up," she whispered.  
  
Hitomi turned around and replied, "I'm already awake, and your shouting kind of woke me up."  
  
Suzumi grimaced and said, "Sorry, but Yuuhi broke an important medicine." She shook her head slightly and explained to Hitomi, "The medicine was for you, so see if your Tennyo powers are true and not just temporary...but now we don't have any."  
  
Hitomi vaguely remembered the beginning of the story of the Tennyo, and did not know what Suzumi was talking about, so she just didn't say anything. Glancing at the door, which Suzumi did not close completely, Hitomi saw Yuuhi walking to his room, and the door slam shut. "Are you hungry?" Suzumi asked as she heard Hitomi's stomach growl.  
  
Rubbing her stomach and laughing, Hitomi replied, "Yes, I'm very hungry."  
  
"Come on," Suzumi said, standing up. Hitomi got up and followed Suzumi to the kitchen, and opening the refrigerator door, Suzumi warmly gestured, "You can raid the refrigerator of anything you like. We need to have an important talk about this." Hitomi nodded and stuck her upper body into the refrigerator, and came out holding some ham, rice, raw Mackerel, an orange and asked Suzumi, "Where's the soy sauce?" Suzumi handed Hitomi a large plastic bottle filled to the top with the brownish black liquid. "And wasabi!!" Hitomi quickly added.  
  
Suzumi opened the refrigerator and remove a large plastic-wrapped pack of wasabi. She removed the plastic wrap and pulled out a wad of wasabi and placed it in a small dish. Hitomi placed all the food on the counter opposite to where Suzumi was sitting, and plopped herself down, massaging the wasabi with her fingers to soften it. Hitomi removed the covers and plastic wrap of the dishes and went to heat up the rice.  
  
Hitomi sat down, and Suzumi began her story again, with Hitomi listening contently, and keeping her eye on the rice the whole time. When it beeped, Suzumi paused momentarily and waited for Hitomi to get the rice, and Suzumi brought her chopsticks. Hitomi began eating, listening again.  
  
By the time Hitomi had finished eating, Suzumi had finished her story ten minutes earlier, and had made some tea for the both of them. "You see why you are so important to this legend? It is your destiny to reveal your Celestial Maiden, you Tennyo, and to reveal the strength of a non-Tennyo blood human. You have no trace of history related to the Mikage's, yet you are of Tennyo blood."  
  
Hitomi, who had taken in every detail had spoken. "I was late, and then this little girl who was all white and light blonde, dropped this sword- snake-dragon in my hands and gave me the two wounds under the cloth you bound on my hands," Hitomi explained. "The necklace attached itself to me, and I can't take it off...and why do I have these wounds all over my body?"  
  
"I do not know the answer to that question," Suzumi replied, and cleared the dishes, but Hitomi fought over and won, and she washed and dried the dishes willingly. "You see," Suzumi said, as she stood next to Hitomi and eyed her most treasure porcelain plate, "you are an important piece to the Mikage, though they do not give a wit for you, only their Tennyo blood girl, Aya."  
  
Hitomi closed her eyes for a moment as she dried the last dish and placed it on the rack and sighed. "Aya Mikage...I've heard that name before somewhere." Suddenly it hit her, Aya went to the same school as she did. "I know! We went to the same school!"  
  
Suzumi gasped and answered, "The same school?"  
  
"Yes," Hitomi replied. "I can't believe I didn't see it before, but it's true, we did."  
  
Nodding her head, Suzumi agreed, "We must go to your school to find out if she's still there."  
  
"Not likely," Hitomi retorted, "She didn't show up at school for the last three weeks of the semester, and never showed up for the second semester."  
  
Suddenly, there was a loud thud at the door and the shouts of a girl, "Let me in, PLEASE!! Somebody is trying to kill me!!"  
  
Suzumi sprinted to the door and opened it, gasping in shock and Hitomi, who had come running too, uttered the words, "Oh, my God..." and stood there, staring at the bleeding face of a girl with mussed blonde hair and amethyst eyes, tearing up with cuts all over her legs. "Aya Mikage," Hitomi muttered, and glaring evilly at her, she said, "So we meet again." 


	3. To Kidnap a Tennyo

"Hitomi Ikeda!?" Aya snapped. She turned around to leave, but was tugged back but a gruff arm. "Let go of me! I do not want to stay here if she is!"  
  
"You are staying," Suzumi ordered, "or would you rather be killed?" as she saw three men in black suits run by. Aya quickly entered the house, and Suzumi closed the door.  
  
Eyeing Suzumi strangely, Aya asked, "Who are you?"  
  
"Suzumi Aogiri," Suzumi replied briskly and walked away, followed by Hitomi, who whispered something in Suzumi's ear and went to her room.  
  
"Please, sit," Suzumi gestured, pointing at a chair. Aya willingly sat down, and Suzumi asked, "I presume you know why you are running from these men?"  
  
Aya nodded, "Yes, I do."  
  
"That saves me a lot of explaining, then," Suzumi sighed briefly, and continued. "Hitomi Ikeda, is a Tennyo like yourself."  
  
"What?" Aya was surprised. "How is that possible?"  
  
"I do not know. All I know is that she is, and she shows great power and...she is her own enemy..." Suzumi answered. "She does not know she will eventually, probably, kill herself, for those wounds she has, like your brother, Aki. His wounds penetrated into Hitomi as well...This is where the trouble begins."  
  
Aya nodded and finished Suzumi's statement, "Hitomi will want to commit suicide, killing herself."  
  
Suzumi nodded, and brought two cups over, filled to the top with steaming tea. "Thank you," Aya said. "But...where do you come in?"  
  
"I have some Tennyo blood, telekinetic powers, you see," Suzumi answered. "Yuuhi and I must protect Hitomi, but the legend did not state your presence, so possibly, the legend focuses on you, but the problem is..." Suzumi paused a moment to sip her tea. "The problem is that Hitomi only turned fifteen, so it confuses me that normally, powers emerge during the sixteenth year, but now, it is not."  
  
Aya wrinkled her face and then said, "It is irrational that Hitomi is a pure-blood Tennyo. Are you sure that she is not like you?"  
  
"In the beginning, I thought that she might have temporary powers, and they would die out soon, but they are still raging on, and it seems like her cuts won't go away, just like Aki's," Suzumi explained.  
  
"It is very strange, don't you think," Aya continued, "that Hitomi and I could be pure-blood Tennyo's while there was one legend with one Tennyo?"  
  
"The Tennyo that resides in you, is the original Tennyo," Suzumi clarified, "while I do not know what or which Tennyo could possibly be in Hitomi. She has not come out yet, so I do not know."  
  
At that moment, Tooya came out, and didn't say a word, he just left. He stole a quick glance at Aya, but just kept a straight face. Before Aya could say a word, Suzumi said, "That is Tooya, he is working for us undercover at the Mikage House."  
  
"Oh," Aya answered silently.  
  
A lout blast of music suddenly erupted from the hallway, and the two could hear Hitomi shouting at the top of her lungs, "YUUHI!! YOU ASS! YOU COULD 'A DEAFENED ME!!!" Then there were muffled words and again, Hitomi was shouting, "DON'T EVER DO THAT AGAIN, YOU HEAR? OR YOU'RE DEAD!!" and again was a loud blast of music, and Yuuhi screamed and the door opened, closed, and Yuuhi's footsteps. Then the door opened again and closed, and another shuffle of footsteps followed Yuuhi down. "YUUHI, I'M COMING TO GET YOU!!!"  
  
Yuuhi ran around the kitchen, Hitomi breathing heavily, one hand over her left ear, and holding a bat she had apparently stolen from Yuuhi's room. "You're going to PAY."  
  
"It was an accident!!" Yuuhi squealed, lying horribly.  
  
"Yeah, and so was this!" Hitomi swung the bat at Yuuhi's head, and it whiffed the top of his hair, for he ducked in the nick of time. Then he ran outside, closely followed by Hitomi. Suzumi and Aya heard screams and the bat hitting trees, bushes, and Yuuhi's knee...  
  
"Yuuhi is...umm...a very strange person," Aya finished.  
  
Suzumi laughed and said, "Yes, he truly is."  
  
"You live together?" Aya questioned.  
  
"Yes, he's my brother-in-law," Suzumi sighed. "My husband...died in a car crash."  
  
"Oh."  
  
There was a long pause, tea sipping, and banging and screaming going on outside.  
  
"I'm sorry," Aya said. "I lost my father, and my mother, kind of."  
  
"Hmm, it's okay," Suzumi whispered as she finished off her tea. "I'm going to get those two inside, I'll be right back." Aya nodded, and Suzumi left and went outside.  
  
"YUUHI! HITOMI! COME HERE NOW!" Suzumi shouted.  
  
The two came and stood in front of her, like two soldiers.  
  
"Yuuhi, apologize to Hitomi and promise her you'll never blast the music in her ear again," she ordered.  
  
Yuuhi, who was sulking, turned to Hitomi, who had her arms crossed and she back turned to Yuuhi, and he through gritted teeth, he said, "I-am-s-s-s- orry, Hi-Hitomi."  
  
"And...?" Suzumi forced.  
  
"And...I'll-never-do-it-again," Yuuhi finished.  
  
"You're not forgiven," Hitomi rudely said. "But it's nice to know it won't be happening again."  
  
"Now, you two, inside, now," Suzumi said.  
  
"Hey!" Yuuhi shouted. "Doesn't she have to apologize to me for hitting me?"  
  
"No," Suzumi simply stated and left, Hitomi and Yuuhi both glaring at each other. First Hitomi went in, and slammed the door in Yuuhi's face, but Yuuhi pried the door open and Hitomi, who had been holding it shut, ran off.  
  
"No more fighting," Suzumi called out as Yuuhi ran down after Hitomi. "Now, you will need a room to stay, we will work out all the details tomorrow."  
  
Aya nodded and followed Suzumi to an empty room with a single Tatami mat in the center and a pile of blankets and two pillows. "It's not much, but you only need to sleep here, so, it should be okay," Suzumi elucidated.  
  
"Arigato," Aya politely said. "When will dinner be ready?"  
  
"Yuuhi will be preparing it, so soon, I believe," Suzumi replied. "I will call you to dinner."  
  
Aya nodded and closed the door. She turned around to find both Yuuhi and Hitomi in the room, looming over her. "Hitomi's told me all about you," Yuuhi commented. "She say's you're a real bi-"  
  
"Don't dare say it," Aya said. "I'm as tough as Hitomi, and I have...have nails!" She showed Yuuhi her chipped, lightly brushed with pink nails.  
  
"I've seen scarier," Yuuhi said.  
  
"Scarier than this?" Aya asked, making a horrible face, showing three fangs and she pulled her cheeks down, making red scratches. Yuuhi fake screamed and slapped Aya straight across the face. "WHAT WAS THAT FOR??!!" Aya huffed.  
  
"For this," Yuuhi replied, making the face, causing Aya to slap him.  
  
"Hey, you two!" Hitomi interrupted. Aya and Yuuhi stopped slapping each other, their cheeks red. "Now, if you will, Yuuhi, go prepare dinner, Aya and I will...get closer." A wicked grin grew across both Aya and Hitomi's faces. "GO!" Hitomi shouted, when Yuuhi did not move.  
  
Yuuhi sulked out and called back, "Whatever you two are going to do, I'm not going to like, am I?"  
  
"We'll see..." Aya shouted.  
  
When Yuuhi had started chopping and listening to music again, Aya and Hitomi screamed and hugged each other. "You think that grudge we just held will make Yuuhi think we're enemies?" Aya stupidly asked.  
  
"No, duh!" Hitomi sarcastically responded. "Shhh! Someone's coming!"  
  
The two fell silent, and the door moved a crack and slid entirely open. There standing, was Tooya, his hands in his pockets. "What do you want?" Aya asked rudely.  
  
"Nothing, just seeing where the screaming was coming from," he replied.  
  
"Well, you found out, so go away," Hitomi retorted.  
  
"Fine," Tooya said and closed the door.  
  
"Who was that?" Hitomi asked.  
  
"Suzumi said his name is Tooya, and he is working undercover for Suzumi, I think, with my family," Aya answered.  
  
"I see," Hitomi said, and eyeing the look on Aya's face, she grinned. "You think he's cute, don't you?"  
  
Aya's eyes bugged out, she was good at that, "NO! No, I'm not!"  
  
"Yes, you are!!"  
  
"NOOOO!!!!"  
  
"AYA LOVES TO-"  
  
Aya clasped her hand over Hitomi's mouth; Hitomi was smirking in Aya's direction. "Now, no, I do NOT," Aya lied.  
  
"Hmph, va vi," Hitomi said through Aya's hand.  
  
"DINNER!!" Suzumi called, and Aya let go of Hitomi, and they grudged out again and pretended they hated each other.  
  
"Mm!" Aya complimented. "Smells good!"  
  
"Thanks," Yuuhi said, but Aya just grimaced.  
  
The five sat down, Tooya sitting alone in a corner and the others sitting squished together. They had rice, Miso Shiro, fried Salmon, and some dry Curry. Aya and Hitomi glared at each other all through dinner, Suzumi stared at the food only, Yuuhi listening to his music, until Suzumi snatched his headphones off and forced him to eat in peace, and Tooya, coming over once in a while to get food, but otherwise sitting in the darkness.  
  
Dinner was finished and everything was cleared up, Hitomi forcing her way into washing the dishes again. She had tucked her necklace inside her thick sweater so nobody would see it. Suzumi was standing next to her again, and they were alone.  
  
"About your necklace," Suzumi stated. "What is it?"  
  
"I don't know," Hitomi replied, washing a large porcelain plate. "A possible symbol?"  
  
"Not likely," Suzumi countered. "The legend-"  
  
"Everything is always about the legend. Do you really believe the legend is true?" Hitomi vulgarly barged in.  
  
Suzumi sighed. "It is not the matter of a legend, it is the matter that the legend is wrong, yet the legend is right."  
  
"In what?"  
  
"In everything, the rebirth of a Tennyo from a difference class, but the meeting of both pure-blood Tennyo's was not a part of this legend. Where it comes from, I do not know, but why it has happened is clear."  
  
"How?" Suzumi did not answer, so Hitomi asked again, louder, "How?"  
  
"To put it simply, she is here to kill you, or your Tennyo will kill you," Suzumi sadly inclined.  
  
Hitomi, on hearing the news, dropped the bundle of chopsticks she was washing, and dipped her head low. "Is, is it true?"  
  
"I do not know," Suzumi replied. "The only thing we can do is not let you release your Tennyo. If your Tennyo comes out, the consequences and actions are always irreversible."  
  
Hitomi sighed and said, "I don't even have a clue as to how this whole system works, but why does this Tennyo want to come out?"  
  
"To return...to heaven," Suzumi simply uttered.  
  
"Heaven!?" Hitomi replied, picking up the chopsticks. "I don't even know my place on Earth, and then my body, or my spirit Tennyo wants to go to Heaven!?! What am I supposed to do about it? I can't control it, and anyway, these are all filth and lies!!!"  
  
"Don't say that!" Suzumi retorted. "You cannot say anything about what you do not know, and you surely do not know the Heavens, let alone the legend."  
  
"Well, maybe if I knew the legend, I'd have a better understanding of the purpose of the Tennyo and my purpose on Earth!"  
  
"Hitomi, you will understand when time comes, your powers have shown themselves too early!" Suzumi's face was turning a shade of bright red.  
  
"Show me the legend, and I will understand, I swear!" Hitomi said.  
  
Aya emerged from the hallway, and clearly confused, asked, "What's going on here?"  
  
Before Suzumi could answer that question, Hitomi raised her hand out to silence Aya, but instead sent a great shock at her and Aya flew back and hit the wall. She made a small noise, like an "Unh!" and fell unconscious.  
  
"Aya!" Suzumi cried, but Hitomi restrained her and demanded, "Show-me-the- legend."  
  
"No!" Suzumi shrieked, and pushed Hitomi's hand off her forearm.  
  
"SHOW ME!"  
  
"NO!" Suzumi rushed over to Aya and was about to help her up, when Hitomi came up to her and pulled out the necklace. "I have a right to know what's going on here. If I am the legend, and if it's my destiny, I have to know what's going on!" Hitomi hollered.  
  
Suzumi brushed away her hair and firmly replied, "If you must, then you will..." Hitomi smile triumphantly. "...on your sixteenth birthday." Hitomi opened her eyes and shouted, "MY SIXTEENTH BIRTHDAY!? That's eleven and a half months away! By then, I could be dead, did you realize that!?"  
  
In the middle of helping Aya up, Suzumi stopped and said to herself, "That's right," and in a louder tone, said to Hitomi, "You're right. Tomorrow, we will, review it tomorrow."  
  
"Great," Hitomi sarcastically retorted and went back to washing the dishes.  
  
In the middle of washing Suzumi's favorite china plate, a gloved hand grasped over her mouth and pulled her back, causing Hitomi to drop the plate with a crash. The man injected a needle into a blood vein in her neck and Hitomi fell unconscious, the man carrying her away and out of the house. 


	4. From Dark to Light

The door flung open to a black car, rain pouring down on them, the man carrying Hitomi on his shoulder. The front door or the Aogiri house opened revealing a steaming Suzumi, who ran down the steps and attempted to chase the car. The man flung Hitomi in and shut the door, the car speeding away with Suzumi panting and running behind.  
  
"Oh dear," Suzumi said to herself as she sunk deep into the muddy ground. "What am I going to do?" She stared up into the dark gray mist of clouds and closed her eyes, letting the rain fall down on her.  
  
Hitomi awoke in a dark cellar type area with masses of computers and wires hanging from the ceiling and scattered over the floor. She was bound with thick metal clamps, to the wall with chains holding her to the ceiling and ground. In front of her was a clear glass wall, and people, masked from no lights. Hitomi could only see a blonde-haired woman with brown rimmed glasses taking notes on a clipboard and occasionally saying something Hitomi could not make out.  
  
Six heads turned as the blonde-haired woman emerged again and removed a small cylinder of clear liquid from her white lab coat. Adjusting her glasses, she also revealed a needle, and one of the men poured the liquid into the case. He stood up and the isolated door opened and closed with a bang.  
  
Hitomi could not say a thing, she only struggled to try to release the chains with no luck, and the man just simply stated, "They're not coming off, there's no use to even try." The man walked to Hitomi, the light finally hitting his face. It was scarred, and his hair was mussed brown. He took a string from his pocket and tied it around Hitomi's arm, just above her elbow. Then he carefully placed the needle on the top of Hitomi's skin, and said, "This'll hurt, but it's all for the cause." The man injected it with a thrust, causing Hitomi to shudder and suddenly she felt very weak, and her whole body fell limply.  
  
The man removed the needle, untied the string, and left. He returned with a large pair of goggles and placed them over Hitomi's eyes. Several wires were attached to the goggles and a small keyboard, and the blonde-haired woman entered, and started typing something.  
  
Suzumi sat at the counter, and solemnly said, "I can't believe they got her."  
  
Yuuhi replied, "Well, why aren't we going after her??"  
  
"Because we don't know where she is, dork," Aya scolded and slapped Yuuhi on the back of the head.  
  
"Exactly," Suzumi said, "and we don't know who kidnappe-"  
  
The door burst open, and Hitomi entered, only, it wasn't Hitomi. She was dressed in a black tank top that revealed her stomach, and very short pants. Hitomi was also wearing thigh-high boots, and her eyes seemed cold and harsh.  
  
"Hi-Hitomi??" Aya exclaimed. "What happened to you!?"  
  
"Nothing," Hitomi replied.  
  
"Then why are you dressed...like that!?"  
  
"No apparent reason."  
  
Suzumi stood up and asked Hitomi, "What did they do to you?"  
  
Hitomi laughed and answered, "Nothing."  
  
"You need medicine, and now." Suzumi walked over to the cupboard, but Hitomi grabbed Aya, who screamed, and removed a large gun. Hitomi placed the gun to Aya's head.  
  
"What are you doing!?!" Suzumi shouted.  
  
"Don't move, or I'll shoot," Hitomi warned, placing her finger on the trigger.  
  
Neither Suzumi nor Yuuhi moved. Hitomi slowly backed toward the door, and opened it. Suzumi telekinetically closed it, but Hitomi shoved her foot in the way. Hitomi took a large leap off the porch and elbowed Aya in the stomach, knocking her out cold. A man in a black suit took Aya and put her in the car, and drove off, while Hitomi jumped into a tree.  
  
Suzumi, Yuuhi, and Tooya ran out, and scanned the ground. They didn't see anybody, or anything, so they were walking out further. When they started spreading out, Hitomi jumped out and landed on the other side of the wall, near the street. She sprinted down, but Tooya was there at that exact moment, and he started chasing her.  
  
Hitomi jumped up onto a wall and disappeared into some bushes, closely followed by Tooya. She ran down an alleyway, and jumped on a trash can, which toppled over and she threw herself over the brick wall. Tooya jumped up and clung onto the wall with his hands, and started to pull himself up, when Hitomi landed briskly in between his hands.  
  
"Well, well," Hitomi retorted. "What do we have here?" She stamped her foot down on Tooya's right hand, and he immediately released it, and also revealed his knife, which at the second she was about to step on his other hand, he threw it at Hitomi's arm, and she easily dodged it, but Tooya quickly regained it, this time throwing at her leg.  
  
She did not have the time to dodge it, and the knife dug deep into her boots, penetrating the thick leather, and entering the flesh of her thigh, she fell forward, onto Tooya. She collapsed and screamed out in pain, as she gripped the knife and pulled it out in a whim. She threw the knife at Tooya, and got on all fours. Hitomi glared at Tooya and blood trickling down her thigh, she stood up, trembling and rammed into Tooya, knocking him over.  
  
Hitomi jumped onto the wall, missing by a few inches, and ended up holding the top with her hands, but she quickly flung herself over the wall and ran away, leaving Tooya clueless as to where she was.  
  
She lay in a bed, dressed in a small gray dress, white cloth, red from blood, bound at her thigh. "Are you well, Miss Ikeda?" a young lady asked.  
  
"Hmm..." Hitomi replied, turning her head away.  
  
She got up and closely followed the lady out, going in the opposite direction, heading into the large cellar-room where she had once been. "How is she?" Hitomi asked.  
  
"Fine," the blonde-haired lady replied.  
  
"Dr. Azama," one man said. "We need the test results in order to see if Ceres will come out or not."  
  
"Right away," she said, and briskly walked away, sticking a pencil in her fluffy blonde hair.  
  
"Ceres?" Hitomi asked.  
  
"The Tennyo inside of Aya, and maybe..." the man replied, "...she might not reside in Aya, but in you."  
  
Hitomi did not looked very shocked, she just nodded, and Dr. Azama returned with a small stack of papers. The man looked them over briefly and nodded. "She's ready. Bring in her brother."  
  
Dr. Azama nodded and pointed for three men to go retrieve him. A few minutes later, they returned with a blonde-haired boy, who looked slightly malevolent. He eyed Hitomi, who turned her head away from him, and they shoved him into a computer-free area of the window. They turned on the speakers, and he shouted out at Aya. Aya awoke, and was shocked, but her eyes started turning golden, and then a deep brown. He hair grew slightly longer, and turned a dark amethyst. The first words that came through her mouth were, "GIVE ME MY HAGAROMO BACK!!!"  
  
The man was satisfied, and Aya's brother was grinning wickedly. "Good work, Aki," the man said, and turned off the speakers.  
  
Through the soundproof window, you could still hear Ceres screaming, "GIVE ME MY HAGAROMO BACK!!! THAT MAN!! HE TOOK MY HAGAROMO!!!"  
  
Aki left, eyeing Hitomi, and closed the door. Hitomi rolled her eyes, and sat on a large black chair. After countless hours, Ceres had finally stopped, but was still using all her power to rip the cuffs off, with no luck. "We need to change her back," Hitomi smugly remarked.  
  
"But how?" one of the men inquired.  
  
"I don't know, but she can't stay like this too long," Hitomi sarcastically spat.  
  
Dr. Azama nodded, and finally said, "She needs to be unconscious. If she's unconscious, Ceres can't stay in Aya's body for long."  
  
Several men nodded, and one ran out and quickly returned with a flask of liquid. Dr. Azama inserted it into a hole in the wall and pressed a button. Instantly, the fluid was sucked away, and pure gray gas floated into the chamber. Ceres started coughing, turning her head away, but no luck. Within seconds, Ceres had fallen lifeless and turned back into Aya.  
  
"What do we do Suzumi?" Yuuhi asked, behind a large glass of tea.  
  
"I do not know..." she replied, sighing.  
  
The front door flung open, and Aya stepped through, bleeding and panting. She took a quick glance behind her, and then ran towards Yuuhi and Suzumi, grabbed their wrists, and dragged them out the front door. "We have to run!" Aya shouted.  
  
"No, really," Yuuhi remarked. Aya shot him a dirty look and ran ahead, closely tailed by Yuuhi and Suzumi.  
  
"How did you escape!?" Yuuhi asked.  
  
"I'll explain later," Hitomi called and jumped swiftly over a small bush.  
  
Hitomi led them down an alleyway and she opened a large iron door, slamming it shut behind them. The warehouse reeked of onions and dead fish, with a hint of wine. "We'll have to stay here for now, unless we can find a safe place to go," Hitomi whispered.  
  
Suzumi nodded. "This would be a great time to tell us how you got away from the Mikage," Yuuhi ill manneredly said.  
  
Aya walked to a large glass window with sharp fangs and a light breeze blowing through the empty glass. She brushed her bloodstained fingers against the point and dug her forefinger into it, blood splurging from it.  
  
"Aya!" Yuuhi exclaimed, and rushed over. He attempted to pull her finger out of the corner, but she swung around and blasted him with a strong force, knocking him out.  
  
Suzumi looked surprised; she slowly backed away, but the door would not open from the inside. "Aya, what is going on here?" she asked.  
  
Aya withdrew her finger, and stepped to one side. "I am doing nothing, except deplete the race of blood Tennyo's," she scoffed. Hitomi stepped through the broken window, her boots making a loud clack. Large yellow lights suddenly flashed on, and Aya called out, "This is where it all begins." 


End file.
